Kiss
by AidansQueen
Summary: Caroline Forbes wanted just one thing...she wanted a kiss.


**Disclaimer: I don't own or make any money from any of this, all of it belongs to those who created 'The Vampire Diaries.'**

* * *

"Get out!" Elena shouts at her ex best friend.

"Fine!" Caroline shouts back as she roughly slams the cabinet door closed and stalks past Stefan who's glaring at Elena disapprovingly. She looks at him and he rolls his eyes and shakes his head, following Caroline to the front door of the Salvatore boarding house.

"Caroline wait," Stefan calls and Caroline huffs dramatically, tossing her blond curls over her shoulder as she walks.

"I'm done Stefan…I can't take this anymore," she exclaims as Damon cranes his head to one side to watch Caroline's progression towards the front door.

"You think this is easy for me?" Stefan demands as he catches her by the arm, halting her progression, "I don't like it anymore then you do."

"I can _hear_ you," Damon says irritably as he finishes his scotch and gets to his feet, glaring at two of them as he walks down the corridor towards the kitchen to check on Elena.

Stefan rolls his eyes and walks with Caroline outside, standing on the front porch with her, "I know…you hate this…I know it makes you crazy but I've come to accept it and so will you eventually."

"You came to accept it because you have the evil blood slut to keep you company," Caroline snaps irritably and Stefan frowns down at her.

"Don't talk about Rebekah like that Caroline," he says defensively, his dark eyes meeting hers, "Rebekah isn't as bad as you think."

"She terrorized us…she locked us up in our school and sent her psycho brother Kol after us!" Caroline growls.

"She was angry Caroline!" Stefan says in exasperation, "I can't blame her…she was stabbed in the back…literally…and metaphorically by the people she trusted most."

"So that gives her a free for all to send Kol after us?" Caroline says as she crosses her arms and glares up at Stefan, "I can't take this anymore…this is just so….wrong….all of it is wrong. We don't date originals Stefan…they aren't our friends."

"The lines have been blurred Caroline…" Stefan tells her pointedly, "everything is changing."

"I noticed…and I don't like it," Caroline growls and turns to walk towards her car.

"Come to dinner with us…just try it out….just get to know Rebekah…please?" Stefan calls to her as she storms off towards her car. She stops in front of the driver's side door and stares at him over the roof of her car, "You're paying…" she says as she points at him, "and don't think for even a second that I won't walk out if _he_ even so much as sets a toe inside that restaurant."

"No Klaus…I promise," Stefan says with his palms held out in front of him in a show of submission, "Just me, Rebekah and you….just dinner…maybe some dancing."

"You two better not be _dancing_ while I'm there," Caroline scoffs as she gets into her car.

"Thousand year old junk….ew…" Caroline grimaces as she drives off, Stefan watching the car go down the road with a heavy sigh.

Caroline couldn't understand what had gotten into everyone lately. Elena was with Damon, Stefan was with Rebekah and Tyler was off somewhere half way across the world taking time off from Mystic Falls after the death of his mother and the murder of his pack. Tyler was the only reasonable reaction that she understood, aside from Bonnie and Jeremy getting back together which pleased her immensely although she rarely saw her other best friend anymore because of it.

Caroline sighed heavily as she drove home, considering her options. She agreed to go with Stefan to dinner, but she would be dateless and more than likely Rebekah would comment on it and humiliate her and she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from a snide comment or two which would lead to two blonde's body slamming each other into the pavement outside of the restaurant.

Or at least she'd like to imagine she could do that.

The reality of it would probably be Stefan saving her from having her head bashed in by an original. Caroline growled as she parked her car in the driveway in front of her house and got out. Stomping up the pavement, her heels clicking against the cement she unlocked the front door and went into the house. It was dark which didn't surprise her, Liz Forbes was working overtime as of late ever sense Mayor Hopkins took over Mystic Falls. He was bent on cleaning up the town, which included containing the violence spreading throughout the town thanks to the 'alpha male' as he calls himself these days.

Douche bag.

She was half way tempted to drive over to his house and demand he detain his sister and keep her away from Stefan. He also might laugh in her face or ignore her completely, two options which she'd rather avoid, and because despite everything he's done a part of her did like him. A part of her however infinitesimal in size did not want to be humiliated in front of him. Another part of her mourned his actions because it meant that she could never act on such impulses. It would be an act of betrayal against her friends and a slap in the face for Tyler.

Her now ex-boyfriend.

They'd chosen to break up because of everything happening, he needed time to be alone and collect his thoughts and she gave it to him. He left town and now she was stuck here all alone dealing with the chaos that ensued after Klaus got drunk and went crazy.

She'd promised herself she'd break a champagne bottle over his head the next time she saw him.

She checked the clock on the wall and grumbled irritably because she had two hours to get ready for dinner. Stefan would probably be coming by to pick her up a half hour early which cut two hours back to an hour and a half. Stomping loudly upstairs because it just felt good to vent her frustration with noise, she proceeded to shower and dig out her one and only Versace gown out of the closet. It was made of soft material, form fitting with a pencil skirt cut. She refused to be showed up by that rich blonde snob and neither did she want to endure the comments on her wardrobe considering how classy of a restaurant Stefan was taking them too.

Right on time as usual, Stefan's knocking on her front door just as she's finishing putting on her lipstick. She checks her hair one last time in the mirror and straightens out her skirt before going downstairs to meet him.

"Hey," Caroline says with a smile as she opens the front door and steps outside, black clutch in hand as she turns to lock the door behind her.

"Hey," Stefan replies with a smile, "you look great."

"Thanks," Caroline replies cheerfully and follows him down to the car.

"Rebekah?" She asks him curiously because the other blond isn't in the car.

"We're going to pick her up right now," he says with a shrug.

"Does she know I'm coming?" Caroline asks worriedly.

"Yeah, I called her and told her earlier," Stefan replies as Caroline gets into the front seat and Stefan slides in besides her, starting the car.

They drive for a while in silence until Caroline lets out a soft sigh and looks at him, "I'm sorry I was being such a bitch earlier," she tells him quietly, the sound of the engine the only other noise in the car, "Elena just made me so _mad_."

"It's her choice Caroline," Stefan sighs, "what can I say? I'm moving on too."

"It's not _right_," Caroline howls and Stefan winces at her outburst, "You two are _epic_."

"Sometimes love fades Caroline," Stefan explains as he pulls into the large circular driveway in front of Klaus's house, "Elena is very young," he explains to her slowly, "when you're that young…you think love is going to be forever…but you learn over time that love takes work…it takes compromise and understanding. Elena and I just couldn't make it work anymore…and besides…" Stefan sighs as he stares at the steering wheel, "Maybe it's time I date somebody my own age anyways."

"She's got like, nine hundred years on you Stefan…" Caroline says with a raised eyebrow as she stares at him.

"Rebekah is a good person Caroline," he says softly, "I know it doesn't seem like it…I know that after everything it's really easy to hate her…hate all of them….but just give her a chance ok?"

Caroline glares at him from her seat beside him and sighs without responding.

"_Ok_?" he repeats, staring at her.

"Ok," Caroline says quietly with a nod and watches him get out of the car and walk towards the front door. She had no intention of going anywhere near that front door as she got out and opened the back door, intending on getting in. it was then that she heard the tell-tale crunch of gravel as someone walked towards her and she grimaced, the smell of aftershave confirming her worst fears as she turned to face the person behind her.

"Klaus," Caroline says with a forced smile as she looks at him.

"Caroline…my don't you look fetching tonight," he tells her and she rolls her eyes and opens up the back door, tossing her clutch down on the backseat.

"I'm going with them to dinner," Caroline explains irritably as she swallows the anger threatening to form words in her throat that she was sure would get her into a lot of trouble right now. She turns to sit down on the edge of the backseat with her legs hanging outside of the car, her hands folded in her lap.

"Yes," he says with a nod, "Rebekah mentioned something about that…I was just out for a walk…the grounds around my house are lovely at night."

"Yeah," Caroline replies idly and doesn't make eye contact with him as she stares at the front door of his house waiting for Stefan to come back out with Rebekah.

"It's a rather nice restaurant you'll be going to tonight," he comments after a long period of silence in which Caroline stares at the front door and he stands there staring at her.

"Look," Caroline grounds out because she can't stand to talk to him anymore. Part of it was the smell of his aftershave which made her want to bury her face in his neck and smell it on his skin, and the other part of it was that she wanted to hit him with her clutch, "I can't do this right now. It's really hard for me to smile and be polite when I know what you did."

"Is it really so surprising that I would retaliate so?" Klaus asks with a raised eyebrow, "I'm a warrior Caroline, and it was only good battle strategy. Your boyfriend and your friends threatened me and I felt you all needed a reminder that I'm not someone to be crossed."

"You murdered someone who never did anything to hurt you. Carol Lockwood was a good woman and a good mayor. Her first thoughts were for her son and not for herself. She didn't deserve what you did to her." Caroline retorts angrily.

His intense stare burns across her skin and his expression is neutral and unreadable as he speaks in a low tone that sends shivers down her spine, "In war there are casualties."

"This isn't a _war_ Klaus," Caroline frowns up at him, "We just want to be able to live in peace."

"Didn't seem like that," he responds with raised eyebrows and she hates how he can stay so calm when she was so angry.

"Klaus….Caroline," Stefan says, interrupting their conversation as he approaches with Rebekah beside him, her hand clutched in his.

"Ah, Stefan," Klaus smiles at him, "Be good to my baby sister you understand?"

"Oh _please_," Caroline scoffs as she slides into the car and shuts the back door.

"I will," Stefan smiles back at him politely before he opens the door for Rebekah and waits for her to get in before going to the driver side and getting into the car. Caroline swallows her pride and refuses to acknowledge the smirk Klaus is directing towards her as she stares down at the clutch in her hands. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him, that a part of her liked him, but she also felt rather irrationally violent urges when she was around him that would probably put a damper on any relationship they had if she were to act on them.

The drive to the restaurant is silent save for the occasional banter between Stefan and Rebekah. Caroline is pretending she can't stand the smell of Rebekah's perfume when she really wants to ask what it is and where she could buy some herself. She also found herself admiring Rebekah's dress, even though that was another thing that she studiously suppressed.

"Don't mind my brother," Rebekah says to her as she turns her head to one side, catching Caroline in her peripherals, "he's just rather put out that he couldn't come to dinner with us."

"I'm sure he'll find a way of entertaining himself," Caroline mutters as she crosses her arms, staring at the restaurant building as Stefan pulls into the parking lot and parks. Caroline climbs out as Stefan is coming around to the other side to open Rebekah's door.

They walk into the restaurant and are immediately shown to their seats, clearly Stefan having planned ahead because this is Rebekah and she's used to the best. Caroline thinks that they're almost cute together, and that she could almost like Rebekah dating him if it weren't for the fact that she was supposed to be on Elena's side.

Why was she on Elena's side?

Caroline frowns as she sits down at the table and picks up a menu. Elena was no longer her friend and she had no ties to her. Elena made it very clear that she didn't care what Caroline thought or felt and she would sooner chose Damon over someone she grew up with. What Elena didn't understand was the deeply embedded hatred she had for Damon Salvatore. Caroline knew that it was wrong to nag Elena like she did but she couldn't contain the hurt she felt seeing Elena date him. It was as if Elena didn't realize how much she was kicking Caroline in the face by dating him after everything that Damon had did to Caroline.

Yes, Damon had changed.

Damon has changed and Caroline likes that, she thinks that he's become a better man. She still doesn't trust him, and she still doesn't want her best friend dating him though. Elena deserves someone sweet and protective like Stefan, not manipulative and rude like Damon.

"Would you care for some wine Mademoiselle?" The waiter asks and Caroline stares up at him with wide eyes, startled by his appearance. She hadn't even heard him walk up to her and that was embarrassing because Rebekah was grinning at her behind her wine glass.

"Yes please," Caroline says with a deep breath and a smile, proffering her wine glass to the waiter.

They order their food and wait for it to arrive, filling the time with small talk. Rebekah is idly running her index finger over the rim of her wine glass talking about their time in Chicago back in the nineteen twenties.

"You two knew each other in the twenties?" Caroline asks with raised eyebrows.

"You're two young to have even been born yet," Rebekah says with a saccharine smile that makes Caroline want to pick up her fork and stab the other woman in the hand, "but yes, the twenties was a fascinating time as I recall. I loved the music, the dresses…it was so much more fun than the eighteen-hundreds."

"I would know," Stefan chuckles, "I lived in the eighteen-hundreds."

Caroline feels out of place with these two vampires, feeling like a small child out with her parents for dinner. She was only a baby vampire with no stories of her own to tell about the decades past.

"Well I hated corsets at the time," Rebekah says as they serve their dinner, "and Nik…well he's always been very old fashioned. Nik was terribly cross when he realized that I wasn't wearing my corset to the ball…"

Caroline drowns out the rest of the story and rolls her eyes while she eats her dinner, ignoring the hard looks that Stefan is giving her. When dinner is over and Caroline has had at least two glasses of wine they pay and leave the restaurant, driving over to a nearby nightclub that Stefan suggested. When they get inside Caroline is surprised to hear the smooth lulling sound of jazz as the notes of a saxophone roll over her senses, making her lightly sway along as they find a table and order drinks.

"We're going to go dance," Stefan tells her when he takes Rebekah's hand and starts to walk out onto the dance floor. Caroline smiles at them both and sips from the soda she'd ordered. She'd had enough to drink tonight and was afraid she'd blurt out something stupid if she got any more buzzed.

"Care to dance?" Asks a man standing in front of her table.

Caroline looks up at him and for a moment she freezes, because for a moment she thought he was someone else. His dark curly blond hair was closely cropped to his head and there was a day's worth of stubble covering his chin. Caroline stares up at him and then nods, getting to her feet to go dance with him. She thinks to herself that this is an act of rebellion against Elena even though he really isn't Klaus. As they sway to the music he reminds her of the time when she and Klaus danced like this, and suddenly she sort of wishes he was Klaus. He twirls her across the dance floor and she closes her eyes while she's dancing as she imagines its Klaus dancing with her. Her breath catches at the thought and her body stiffens in response, nervousness overtaking her because imaginary Klaus is so close to her, the way his cheek is lightly brushing against hers and holding her against him with his hand pressed against the small of her back.

The music was intoxicating with the idea of Klaus so close to her and it actually makes her smile, indulging herself in something she wanted but denied herself. In her sober mind Caroline wouldn't have allowed herself such a luxury because Klaus's actions past and present would have stopped her from even thinking about it. It was wrong to want him as she did and yet she couldn't help herself.

When the song was over he walked her back to her table where Stefan and Rebekah were waiting, looking at her expectantly while she sat down and waved at the man as he walked off.

"Somebody's been busy," Rebekah remarks with a sip from her wine glass.

"It was just a dance," Caroline replies as she sips from her own glass.

"He looks terribly familiar," Rebekah frowns thoughtfully as she watches the man's retreating back.

"I didn't even get his name," Caroline frowns as she watches him walk away as well.

"How rude," Rebekah replies with the same frown curving her lips, "a gentleman would have introduced himself."

"Apparently I don't attract those types very well," Caroline remarks and hides the pleased smirk curving her lips when Rebekah sneers in her direction at the subtle jab towards her brother.

"Ok," Stefan cuts in before Rebekah can retort, "Are we ready?"

"Yes," Rebekah says dramatically, "I'm exhausted….we've been dancing all night."

"I need to get home and work on dance prep," Caroline says as she finishes her drink.

"I was under the impression that I was doing the eighties theme for the dance," Rebekah replies and they two girls stare each other down for a full minute before Stefan intervenes once more, "How about you _both_ work on it together?"

"I suppose," Rebekah says hauntingly, "If Caroline agrees to it."

Caroline glares at her because Rebekah has backed her into a corner, making her look like the bitchy one if she refuses. Caroline shrugs and sighs, "I suppose."

"Good," Stefan says with a clap of his hands as they all stand to head out to the car, "You two can work out the details during the drive back."

They had agreed to meet up at Rebekah's house tomorrow afternoon after school. Caroline wasn't pleased with the prospect of having to tolerate her brother's presence. She could already see the judgment in her friend's eyes as she told them she was going over to Klaus's house to meet up with Rebekah. It was bad enough she was attracted to Klaus but now she had to endure his presence and that made it worse.

She was supposed to hate him after all.

If it wasn't for her fierce loyalty to her friends she probably would have taken him up on an offer of a real date the time that she promised him one so he'd give up one of his hybrids to save Elena. Then it occurred to her as Stefan drove her home that night, an idea that she at first had tried to ignore but the more she thought about it the more enticing it became. If Elena could date Damon, and Stefan could date Rebekah, why couldn't she kiss Klaus?

It was something that she'd considered in the past when they danced together or spoke, because he had such beautiful lips. It was fear that drove her away from him though, and intimidation. He was so much older than her, she just felt like she could never be enough for him.

As she got out of the car and waved to Stefan as he drove off with Rebekah she walked up the drive contemplating her idea. She could do that she thinks as she enters the house and sees her Mom in the kitchen eating a TV dinner. She smiles and waves and tells her goodnight before heading up to bed.

She could kiss Klaus.

It wouldn't be that hard, I mean all she had to do was kiss him right? It wasn't like she was going to date him or anything. She just wanted something for herself for a change, if everyone else was allowed to go crazy and do whatever they want then she could too.

The next afternoon she was standing on his doorstep, waiting for Rebekah to answer the door. She wondered when Rebekah had decided to move back into his house but didn't ask as Rebekah opened the door and let her in. Instinctively Caroline felt herself recoil upon seeing Klaus in the studio as they passed by, working on a landscape painting. Caroline had to remind herself not to do that anymore, that it was ok to like him now. It wasn't easy changing gears as she was, trying remind herself to relax and let her guard down. She didn't have to be the bitchy fiercely loyal friend to Elena anymore; she could be whoever she wanted to be now.

Caroline nervously bit her lip as she followed Rebekah upstairs, trying to ignore the sound of a paint brush dropping against wood and the curious burning gaze of Klaus as he leans out through the doorway to watch them climb the stairs.

"Caroline," he calls and she cringes inwardly because she was too nervous to talk to him right then. The idea of kissing him might have been great but the actual deed was far more difficult.

"Klaus," she replies without turning around and Rebekah lifts an eyebrow curiously as she watches the exchange between her brother and Caroline.

"What brings you here?" he asks as he ascends the stairs and stands on the step just below hers. She turns to look down at him and sighs, trying to focus on the task at hand, "I'm helping design the eighties dance with Rebekah. We're going to go work on it right now."

"I see," Klaus replies as he exchanges looks with Rebekah before looking at Caroline again, "we'll don't let me get in the way then."

"You're not," Caroline replies and does another inward cringe at her own stupidity. She never manages to say the right thing especially in front of him.

He grins up at her and shrugs before going back down to the studio to continue painting. Caroline watches him go and Rebekah rolls her eyes and shakes her head before continuing up the stairs. Their house is a maze of marble and expensive wallpaper, and Rebekah's bedroom is tastefully decorated in beige and white. Caroline kicks off her shoes and places them in the corner because walking on white carpet with shoes just seemed like a terrible idea.

Three hours later they're staring at designs they've drawn out and lists of items they'll need for the dance. It took them a while to compromise on everything because both women wanted to do it they're own way.

"Let's go sit on the back porch," Rebekah suggests as she stretches, "It's getting stuffy in here."

"Yeah," Caroline yawns, "I could use a break."

It was odd sitting on the back porch in lawn chairs drinking lemonade with a thousand year old vampire while overlooking the beautiful garden behind Klaus's mansion. Sometimes she wondered if he was trying to compete with Tyler's house or if he's just really this artistic. She likes the warm breeze brushing across her face and the sunshine on her skin as she drinks her lemonade and listens to Rebekah tapping away on her cellphone while texting someone.

"Stefan's probably out jogging Rebekah," she tells her quietly.

"He hasn't answered my texts in over an hour," Rebekah huffs.

"That's because he's trying to give us….space…for like…bonding," Caroline explains thoughtfully, "He seems to think you and I could be friends."

"Not likely," Rebekah laughs.

Caroline laughs with her and nods, "I know right?"

"You'd drive me mad," Rebekah scoffs as she sips her lemonade.

"I can't stand the smell of your hair spray half the time," Caroline muses.

"I don't like the way you cake on your make-up," Rebekah retorts with a smirk.

"Really? It looks caked on?" Caroline asks suddenly with a frown.

"No…"Rebekah trails off with a grin, "I'm only being rude."

The two go silent and stare out at the garden for a moment before Caroline says quietly, "Crap….we are getting along."

"I noticed," Rebekah says idly.

"He'll never let us live this down you know," Caroline tells her pointedly.

"I know…" Rebekah sighs.

"What are you two doing out here?" Klaus asks as he walks out onto the back porch, and Caroline does everything she can not to notice how the first three buttons of his grey shirt are undone.

"Just relaxing," Rebekah sighs as she glances back at her brother, "Stefan wants us to _bond_."

"Blimey," Klaus chuckles, "Bit of a tall order don't you think?" he asks as he looks between the two of them before meeting Caroline's gaze, "Caroline's all claws and teeth."

Caroline huffs quietly and rolls her eyes, "I'm not that bad."

He watches her curiously for a moment and she can't decide what to do. She had no idea how to go about this and she wasn't even sure suddenly whether or not he'd want her to kiss him. Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea after all?

"I'm going out," he announces suddenly and Rebekah looks at him expectantly.

"Where too?" she asks curiously.

"Out of town for a bit…paying an old friend a visit," he says though his gaze was on Caroline's face. She was staring down at her hands because she couldn't decide what to do right then.

"See you when you get back then," Rebekah calls as he turns to walk away.

"Bye," Caroline all but squeaks out and Klaus stops to look at her thoughtfully while Rebekah turns her head to look at her with mild surprise written across her face. Klaus smiles to himself and turns to walk off, Caroline blinking at him as he leaves.

"_Bye_?" Rebekah asks with a raised eyebrow, "That's the best you've got?"

"Oh shut up," Caroline grumbles and Rebekah stares at her for a moment with a raised eyebrow and then shakes her head, turning to sip her drink again.

"If you've got plans for my brother you're going to have to do better than '_bye_' Caroline," Rebekah tells her pointedly before finishing her lemonade and getting to her feet, "We need to go finish the design."

"I do not have plans for your brother Rebekah," Caroline grumbles as she stands and finishes her lemonade, "and yes…I agree…let's get the design done so I can go home."

When she gets home she sits on her bed and stares at her hands. For the first time in her life she hasn't got a plan. When she hears someone knock on the front door downstairs she frowns, wondering who it could be.

Downstairs she finds a rolled up piece of canvas tied with a ribbon attached to her front door. When she unrolls it she sees a drawing of herself drinking lemonade out on the back porch of his house and she stares at it with her surprise.

He'd been watching her.

She bites her lip nervously and goes back inside because she wonders if he's watching her right then as she looks at the drawing.

The night of the dance is a bust, the mayor cancels the dance and everybody is left sulking in cars and wearing eighties clothes to boot. So Stefan comes up with the bright idea of making it up to Rebekah by compelling a couple of people to let them into the well decorated gym and have a couple of private dances with her.

Caroline refuses to be the third wheel again and wanders off on her own, huffing as she enters the grill and sits down at an empty table, staring down at her folded hands on the polished table.

"No need to pout love… the eighties weren't nearly as much fun as the twenties anyways," Klaus says as he sits down across from her. Caroline glances up at him and raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not pouting," she responds quietly as the waiter comes by and Klaus orders drinks for both of them before she can even say anything.

"You look rather sullen tonight is all," he shrugs, "My sister seems to have disappeared…do you know where she is?"

"Is that all you came to ask me?" Caroline scoffs, "She's at the gym with Stefan…he's….doing whatever it is Stefan does to make you sister smile."

"Hold on their love," he says, grabbing her hand, "I was under the impression you wanted nothing to do with me."

Caroline sighs, glaring at him. This was a terrible idea and she couldn't imagine why she'd even thought about kissing him in the first place. She catches sight of Elena walking in with Damon and meets her gaze, Elena's gaze shifting between Caroline and Klaus. Anger registers across her face when she sees Klaus holding Caroline's hand and Caroline looks away, staring down at Klaus's hand.

"Never mind," Caroline says tiredly and tries to leave but he doesn't release her hand, rather he tugs her back to the booth gently and smirks at her, forcing her to sit down next to him.

"Now this couldn't happen to have anything to do with the fact that Elena just walked in would it?" Klaus asks knowingly and Caroline flushes pink.

"I don't like to be used to manipulate others Caroline," Klaus tells her pointedly, although his hand is sliding along the back of her neck, curling her hair in between his fingers as Elena walks by with Damon.

"I'm not…just…" Caroline grumbles and tries to get away because she suddenly has lost all nerve and his hand is doing things to her body that she couldn't control.

"Now stop that love," he says softly and it startles her because he's right next to her ear, "let's go dance shall we?"

Caroline isn't sure where she lost control of the situation or how she ended up on the dance floor with him. She's certain that Elena Gilbert is glaring holes into her back and Damon is staring completely dumbstruck at the gall of one Caroline Forbes.

They're dancing slowly to the sound of Nightwish's '_Slow, Love, Slow_' and Caroline closes her eyes because she can't look at the people who are watching them dance right then. It reminds her of the night she dances with him and the decade dance, his hand sliding along her lower back and the rough stubble of his cheek sliding along the soft skin of her own. She finds that she likes being this close to him, the music wrapping around her senses and making her relax against him as he twirls them across the dance floor. She is in a better mood when the song ends and they walk out of the grill. She's walking down the sidewalk with him and she tries to avert her gaze from the sight of the water fountain where he drowned Tyler's Mom.

"So when are you going to tell me about your devilish little plot to get back at Elena Gilbert?" He asks her casually.

"I'm not plotting against her," Caroline snorts derisively.

"Really? Rebekah seems to think you are," Klaus responds casually.

Caroline glares at him and tries to pull her hand free from his grasp but she can't, his grip tightening on her wrist as they walked, "Let go of my hand Klaus."

"You know," he says quietly, "I don't like to be manipulated."

"I'm not manipulating you," Caroline says quietly, fear surging through her blood as they turn in the direction of the fountain.

"I've been nothing but kind you to Caroline," he says quietly, "I've never hurt you."

"Please…" she whispers quietly, "let go of my hand."

His grip tightens and she gasps as he stops abruptly and yanks her into his arms, panic making her shiver as his hands grip her arms. "You've gotten what you wanted from me Caroline…it's only fair I get what I want in return."

"What…no…"Caroline eyes widen as his arm slides around her waist and pulls her up against him roughly, his mouth descending on hers with bruising force as he crushes her against him. Caroline squeaks and balls her hands up into fists, hitting him across the chest repeatedly as she tries to break away from him. He's relentless as he pushes his tongue into her mouth and backs her against a tree, Caroline breaking away for a moment and gasping for breath before he grips the back of her neck and pulls her mouth up against his once more. Slowly she stops her assault on his chest and her body relaxes, her mind going numb and all other thoughts fading away as she realizes that she's kissing him.

She puts her hands on his face and revels in the feel of his stubble under her fingertips as she kisses him back, sliding her tongue across his lower lip before nibbling it lightly. He growls against her lips and pushes his tongue into her mouth, a deep and possessive kiss that left Caroline aching for more when he pulls away and stares at her darkly.

"One day…" he says softly as he looks at her, "one day you'll come to me."

Caroline stares at him as he walks off into the darkness and she's left trembling as she touches her bruised lips, the taste of him in her mouth and the memory of his lips against hers playing over and over in her mind.

The next day she's sitting with Rebekah at the grill having lunch and Rebekah frowns, staring down at her salad thoughtfully, "You know…I think I remember who that bloke was back at the jazz club now."

"Who?" Caroline asks curiously.

"Nik's double…" Rebekah supplies easily.

"He has a double?" Caroline asks in surprise.

"Of course he does," Rebekah says with a shrug, "He uses them for dangerous situations."

"Odd…" Caroline says with a frown.

"No not really…"Rebekah smiles at Caroline, "you see…my brother always has the upper hand. He's always one step ahead."

Caroline frowns at this, wondering exactly if she's just been set up and lured into a trap that he designed and didn't even realize it.

One thing was for sure….she got her kiss.


End file.
